This story was another mini history lesson for me. As an American, who’s never seen Braveheart, I knew jack all about William Wallace. I didn’t know who he was, what he did, or what he was known for. I didn’t even know what time period he lived in. Which made things a little confusing as the author clearly expects you to know these basics going into the story.

Today’s Short Trip comes from the anthology The Quality of Leadership. The central theme of the book is the Doctor meeting various leaders through out time and space. Hence where William Wallace comes in; the leader of The First War of Scottish Independence.

Aboard the Tardis, Jamie and Victoria have an argument over the historical figure. As a Scotsman who has fought the British army himself, Jamie idolizes William Wallace as a hero. While Victoria, an upper-class woman from late Victorian England, has bought into the British propaganda she’s been told her whole life and believes him to be villain. Only for the Tardis to land them in 13th century Scotland where they get to meet the real William Wallace and both have their preconceptions about the man challenged.

Let’s talk about the things I liked in this story first.

I liked how Jamie’s and Victoria’s backgrounds are used to flesh out their characters. They’re some of the few historical companions to travel with the Doctor, so of course their points of view are informed by how they were raised. Everyone feels completely in character.

I also like how the setting plays into those backgrounds. Jamie is right at home, even if he’s technically centuries in his past, because he has a chance to reconnect with his culture. Victoria is more out-of-place, and believes herself to be from a more ‘advance and civilized’ age, but is then faced with the harsh reality that all that she’s been taught about the British Empire is wrong.

Which is where my problems with the story come in. I know it’s only a short story but I wish the set ups and themes here were pushed even further.

Like I said, the author expects the audience to already know who William Wallace is and what time period he lived in, so there’s not enough effort spent on establishing how out of time Jamie and Victoria really are. Which is something you have to take extra care in establishing since they’re already historical companions.

I also don’t think Victoria was challenged enough on her beliefs. She seems to view Wallace’s injustice in isolation rather than as part of a larger systematic problem. The villainous English officer who hounds them and threatens them is just a bad egg to her mind and not a product of his environment. Therefore, it feels like she’s just sorry that the she’s being separated from the guy she has a crush on instead of learning a valuable lesson on the evils of imperialism.

Which leads to my second complaint. As a Victoria and Jamie shipper, I’m not too fussed over her romance with Wallace. Which just abruptly ends when he has to go on the run from the law, and she has to continue on traveling with the Doctor. He doesn’t even ask her to come with him or anything, so we don’t even get a rejection to resolve the plot point.

All in all, it’s not a bad tale, but I think this is one of the few Short Trips that could have benefited from being a longer story.

Even by Short Trips standards, this one feels particularly short. But as truncated as the story may feel, it is also good. On A Pedestal features the Second Doctor, Jaime, and Victoria. Overhearing our two companions (both from historical periods) arguing over the historical figure William Wallace, the Doctor takes them to meet William. It's a very interesting dynamic where Jaime, a Scotsman, is steadfast in his love for Wallace, while Victoria, a Victorian Londoner, views him with disdain.

Meeting William proves to shatter illusions for both companions a bit. Jaime's hero worship is broken ever so slightly, as William is young and, at his core, only human. Victoria, meanwhile, quickly loses her prejudice against the Scots simply by seeing what Jaime is - that they are human and not much different than her. It's a simple dynamic but one I found profoundly effective - for the first time ever, I started to really connect with Victoria's character, which I found very impressive. Jaime also stands out here, truly back in his element and intimately familiar with this world (even if he's off by a few decades from his home).

More impressive is that Kathleen O'Shea, while she seems to have a background in editing, is largely only given a writing credit for On A Pedestal, as best I can tell. For a relatively novice writer to succeed so well, telling a compelling historical while aptly bringing the Second Doctor era to life, is truly remarkable. One of the strongest takes on Short Trips 24, a truly impressive entry in what is shaping up to be a quite strong anthology overall.

JAMIE 😝‼️